This invention relates to cryptographic key, or other secret material, recovery and, in particular, to a mechanism which permits key or other secret material to be recovered securely even when electronic data communication links between two parties, one requiring and the other capable of providing the material, are not available.
According to the present invention there is provided a method permitting secure storage and secure recovery of secret information at a first location, comprising the steps of generating a recovery key from the secret information using a recovery key generation value, encrypting the secret information using the recovery key, storing the recovery key generation value and the encrypted secret information at the first location, and storing the secret information at a second location, and wherein when recovery of the secret information is required at the first location performing the steps of supplying the recovery key generation value from the first location to the second location, generating the recovery key from the secret information stored at the second location using the supplied recovery key generation value, supplying the recovery key generated at the second location to the first location, and, at the first location, decrypting the encrypted secret information using the supplied recovery key.